Cameras Capture Extent of Destruction in Palmyra, Syria

After 10 months of terror at the hands of ISIS, Syrian troops have recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra.

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Cameras document the destruction of priceless relics and statues in the town's museum.

"I'm devastated," Dr. Amr Al-Azm, a former director of scientific and conservation laboratories at the general department of antiquities and museums in Syria, tells ABC News. "When [ISIS] destroyed those monuments, they destroyed the most important, most iconic buildings in Palmyra and that represents a tragic loss."

Officials are expected to start documenting the losses once bomb squads are finished removing mines and bombs planted by ISIS.

Al-Azm says as tragic as the losses are, the damage could be far worse.

"The initial photos that have now been coming out of Palmyra indicate, or seem to indicate, that the damage to the site as a result of the fighting may not have been as great, so that is good news," says Al-Azm, who is now an associate professor of Middle East history and anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio.

SANA via AP

This photo released on March 27, 2016, by the Syrian official news agency SANA, shows a general view of Palmyra citadel, central Syria.

SANA/EPA

A handout photo released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 27, 2016, shows the exterior view of the national museum of Palmyra, Syria.

EPA/SANA

A handout photo released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) on March 27, 2016 shows damage inside the national museum of Palmyra, Syria.

SANA via AP

This photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA shows destroyed statues at the damaged Palmyra Museum, in Palmyra city, central Syria.

Valery Sharifulin/TASS/Newscom

A view of the Roman Theatre in the ancient city of Palmyra, a UNESCO world heritage site, is seen here where the Islamic State (ISIS) staged executions.